Life of Leaving Home
by ShadowLev
Summary: Slight AU. Set before The Hobbit, why Kili's so good with a bow. When Kili contracts a deadly sickness, he leaves his mountain home and accidentally wanders into Elven territory. He survives the illness, but violated a treaty. Now, he must stay for one year, train, and learn their way of life. Eventual Kili/OMC.
1. Awake and Alive

Ok, so I've been obsessed with the Hobbit lately. I hated the animated version as a kid. However, I've seen the three extended LOTR multiple times. I read the first book and half of the second before losing interest. I read the Hobbit because I loved the movie so much. When I get obsessed, I get obsessed, so I'm going to be reading LOTR books over again and more Tolkien. I've started learning Quenya, but just started, so I apologize if my grasp on the language is still shaky.

Main reason for obsession? Ridiculously photogenic dwarves. So, this is about my favorite of said dwarves. Kili. How he came to be so skilled at his bow. AU in that their mother dies and I'm pretty sure Kili never went to live with elves.

Oh, Thannor seems like a Gary Sue at first, but he becomes more developed later.

* * *

There came a sickness in the Blue Mountains when Kili was in his youth. It crept along the earth and brought with it the stench of death and the clamor of cries. First struck the fever, then diarrhea and vomiting, until the infected dwarf no longer had the strength to beat his or her heart. The sickness always killed, and contact with one of the dead always led to sickness. However, only the dead were infectious, as if the sickness only left when it drained all of the life from its host.

As the dwarves were normally hardy people with high immunity, this was the only sickness caught, and so a fever foretold of death. Relatives rolled the bodies of the sick in sheets and threw them into the trash heap before death set in.

Kili and Fili had come home from a hard day working in the mines up the mountain from their port city of Kheledûl. They worked hard for all of their food and rent, as they lived with their mother only. Lately, the two had been starting to get into mischief, as boys were wont to do before they come of age, and getting into trouble. Kili was and felt particularly guilty, as he knew his mother was tired and could do nothing to stop her sons. Still, he found he could not help himself from playing pranks with and on Fili. Now, he was happy to bring back a sack of meat and potatoes for his mother in repentance for having disgraced her the day before.

Their beloved mother was not in the kitchen, nor was she doing the washing, nor was she knitting or sewing in the parlor. Kili and Fili looked around for her and almost wrote it off as one of her social spells with the neighbors. However, Fili checked her bedroom and gave a shout. Kili felt his heart tighten and bolted through the stone apartment, shoving open the wooden door.

His heart tightened painfully as his brother knelt next to his mother. Her blonde hair was damp with sweat. Kili stepped forward slowly. Her blue eyes caught his dark eyes and smiled in spite of her pain and fate. He knelt beside his brother at his mother's side and reached to push her hair out of her eyes, but stopped when he realized how dirty his hand was. He drew his hand away and felt his face twitch with sorrow.

"Mother," Fili whispered, clasping her hand tightly in his own, "How did you catch this illness?" Their beloved mother blinked back tears from her oh so familiar brown eyes.

"It was a day or two ago," she rasped, "A baby was lying in a heap of trash and I picked him up and held him as he died. I could not leave him alone. The fever followed a few hours after, and nausea accompanied it, but I didn't want you to worry."

Kili wiped the dampness from his eyes and shuddered as he watched his mother dry heave into a basin. He filled her glass with water from a pitcher at her bedside and left the room.

Leaning against the archway of the kitchen, he rubbed his face and breathed deeply. They needed to call Thorin and tell him of the sickness. There was no use of buying a space in the mausoleum. No funerals were given to the sick. She would not rest beside their father, killed in battle. She might not go to the final resting place.

Kili punched the stone wall and ignored the throbbing pain of his knuckles and wrist. He pulled off his gloves and washed the soot and dirt off his hands to start supper. Everything went into a pot for soup in some form or another.

Kili brought a bowl to his mother, letting Fili take a break and gather his thoughts. His mother's once plump and full face had already shrunken due to dehydration. When he handed her the bowl, she simply placed it beside her on the table.

"Kili, my son," she whispered with a smile, "I'm dying. I don't need to eat food anymore."

"Mom," Kili rasped, a tear streaming down the side of his face. She wiped it off gently and patted his thigh.

"You've grown into such a good hearted young man and for that, I am proud," she whispered, "But you still are fresh and unfamiliar with death. You were very young when Smaug drove us out of Erebor and when we fought the Orcs in Moria. You have never known a homeland. In the years to come, you will be called upon to fight. I have no doubt you will do us proud. I love you, Kili."

"Ds!" Thorin said loudly as he burst into the apartment, followed by Fili, "Sister."

Kili's mother smiled and held out her hand. Thorin grasped it in his larger hand and knelt by her bedside. Kili stood and left the room, letting his uncle say his goodbyes.

Fili sat in the parlor, staring forward. Kili took up a place opposite of his brother. Thorin came out after a wait with tears drenching his beard.

"You two are my sister-sons," Thorin said quietly, "You are the next in Durin's line as well. My sister is nearing her death from the sickness. I will help you bring her to the quarantined area to say our final goodbyes. Then you may come and live in my halls until you wish to leave."

Fili nodded. However, his younger brother stared into the carpet, his brown eyes ablaze. He could not leave his mother on a heap of trash to die alone.

So when they finished carrying the sickly woman to the trash heap, he remained in the darkness, amidst the dying, to hold his now incognizant mother. The brunette drew upon his inborn strength and carried his mother outside of the Kheledûl gates, into a lonely mountain cave.

The cave was cold, dark, and dank, and clouds soon covered up what little light the moon wrought. Rain began to fall softly, drenching the stone just outside of the cave. Kili held his mother's shuddering body to his chest, wrought with grief, all alone in the darkness to face his inevitable fate.

The lightning and thunder struck the forests below. The dwarf boy soon lost feeling in his legs and his arms began to meld with the stone floor of the cave. His mother's ragged breathing was the only thing to let him know she was still alive. Her face was pale with a sheen of sweat and sickness.

She died hours before dawn, her heart giving out against the tyranny of the sickness. Kili sobbed and rocked her back and forth in his arms. She had been his whole world so far, his only close kin. She had been his homeland. Now, she was gone and he was without a center. As he composed himself and arranged her body on the cold stone ground, he realized that he would not need a center, as the sickness would come for him next. He only lamented that he would not be with his brother.

He began to stack rocks on top of his mother's soft body. A dwarf was born of mountain and returned to the mountain when life left again. Each rock atop her body dragged strength from his limbs. Each rock solidified his knowledge that he had needed to help her. He continued to pile rocks until multiple layers covered her and no beast would be able to feast on her. He would not receive the same luxury.

By the time he finished, he felt the heat of fever upon him. The brown-eyed dwarf threw up his dinner from the night before. Thirst tore his throat. Despite his aching joints, Kili strode down the mountain to the forest for water. Several times, a roiling cramp in his gut drove him to his knees, forcing him to heave painfully.

He reached the river Lh n at the end of his muscles' strength as the sun began to pinken the sky. Collapsing on his knees, he drank deep from the water and lay beside its pebble-strewn banks. His eyes watched the smooth water twist just feet away from his face. He placed his hand in the water and marveled at how cool it felt. It felt like Smaug had taken residence in his head and wiping his wet hand across his forehead quenched the fire.

The dwarf boy peeled his leather vest and boots off and sank into the gently rushing stream. It lapped over his heated flesh, washing the dirt and soot from the mines and mountains off him. He drank the water as it floated past.

Slowly, his brain melted away in delusions and hallucinations as the fever destroyed his thoughts. Orcs, dragons, and trolls tore at the dark behind his eyelids. His mother gasped her last breath and begged him to come with her. Still, he refused to submit to the darkness. His heart beat firmly in his veins and he kept swallowing air. Even as fluids left his body, he gulped water from the river, refusing to let the painful, exhausting vomiting deter him. He clung to the shore, eyes fastened on the mountains, where he had come from. By now, his brother would have missed him. They would find his mother missing from the dead. They would think him dead.

He began to hear voices. Some were familiar and some were quite strange to him. Something gripped his shoulders and began to pull him away, but he protested moving his aching hot body from the numbing chill of the river, where water was plentiful to quench his thirst. He twisted his shoulders out of their grasp and sunk weakly back into the water, even further into the stream. The arms turned supportive, held his body against the pulling water, and simply stroked his hair. Kili could accept that. Each petting motion seemed to drag some of the ache and heat from his body.

He soon grew very cold and the numbing cold that had been so soothing was now driving shudders deep into his body. His teeth chattered inside of his skull. This time, the arms gripped him beneath his legs and shoulders and lifted him from the water as if he weighed nothing. He groaned and shivered some more, so those arms gently wrapped a large blanket around him and carried him away. The motion was a smooth rocking motion and smelled of horse and lilacs. Kili drifted to sleep.

The brown haired young dwarf creaked open his eyes to allow in the flood of soft white light. He wondered if he was dead. Rolling over, his spine cracked and the smell of clean forests came into his nose. He rubbed his eyes and felt sweat on his face. One hand made it up to his hair and felt the terrible knot his long brown tresses had tangled. Surely, heaven didn't come with nasty earthly businesses like combing hair?

His eyes opened completely and he took in a white bedspread and open, airy bedroom. Sunlight poured in through many large, open windows on both sides of the room. Trees surrounded the room. The sound of birds was overwhelming and green was a predominant color outside the window. He breathed deep the fresh air and began to wonder about how he lived.

"Ah, Master Dwarf, you have awakened," an angelic voice came from the entrance of the room. Kili jerked his head around toward the source. Two very tall male elves with silver blonde hair stood in the doorway. The one who had spoken was much older, adorned in flowing robes of aristocracy. His companion appeared only a few hundred years old, only a scant past adulthood in elven years, dressed in more common clothes suitable for hunting and training. Kili looked them back and forth. They were exquisitely beautiful, almost feminine, and well kept. He keenly felt his disheveled hair and unwashed presence.

"I'm Kili," Kili said, then demanded, "Who are you and why am I here?"

"I am Arveldhir," The elder said calmly, taking no noticeable offense at the impudent adolescent, "My son Thannor found you imbibed with sickness in the river and brought you back to our village, Lorlondëë. You have been asleep for several days. We were hoping you could explain to us how you came to reside in our river."

"Your river?" Kili asked, dark brows furrowing. Arveldhir smiled gently, but his words and explanations carried cold meanings.

"We have an agreement with your King, Thorin, when the dwarves entered that they would stay in the mountains and leave the forests untouched," the elder elf said quietly, but firmly. Kili stared down at his hands.

"Do you know of the sickness that is ravaging the dwarven community?" Kili asked. Arveldhir and Thannor exchanged worried glances.

"We had been made aware of an epidemic, but we do not know the extent or the details," Arveldhir said as he folded his pristine hands in front of him. Kili breathed deeply and felt grief tear at his heart over his mother and guilt over leaving his brother and uncle.

"There is a sickness going around that is passed through contact with the dead," Kili started, swallowed, and continued, "Only through the dead. Once you contract the disease, you are supposed to die. Everyone who catches it dies. You get fever and vomiting until your strength is gone. So, our sick have been placed on a garbage heap to die alone so the illness doesn't spread."

"And then they don't go to the dwarf afterlife," Arveldhir murmured, "Such a deplorable act, but there is nothing for it."

"So, you contracted the illness?" Thannor asked in a light, melodic tone, the first words he spoke. Kili looked up at the young elf and nodded.

"My mother was in bed, ill, yesterday when I returned from the mines," the brown eyed dwarf murmured, "She had the disease. My brother, Fili, and I were the only close family living with her. Our uncle Thorin, who was our mother's brother and only surviving relative in vicinity, told us we had to take her to the dump and then go back with him to his halls. My brother went, but I stayed behind and carried my mother out into a mountain cave. When she died, I buried her in rock so she could go on to the afterlife. I immediately became violently ill and, in my delusions, found the mountain stream and climbed into it. In all rights, I should be dead." Kili murmured and balled his hands into fists.

"Fascinating," Arveldhir murmured, "I very much desire you to train under the elves in combat. Your inner strength is quite rare. You must stay for a year or so."

Kili froze before bursting out, "There's no way I'd stick around to learn from a bunch of snotty elves!" Arveldhir narrowed his eyes, but Thannor barely suppressed a smile. The corners of his mouth just barely rose and a tell tale glisten appeared in the elf's eyes.

"Your lack of civility, tact, and discipline leave much to be desired though," the elder elf said haughtily, "We will send word to your kin though, that you are safe. They will have to pay the fine established in the treaty before you may return to your village."

Kili's eyes widened and he shuddered. He could not bear the thought of his misadventure adding even more burden to his family. The fine was large, even for his wealthy uncle. He had already done enough to hurt them. He rubbed his temples and stared at the white bedspread.

"I have already hurt my family enough," he admitted quietly, "If I agree to study under the elves, will you allow me to return without a fine?"

Arveldhir smiled. He had been hoping for this.

"If you study under the elves, learn our ways, and become civilized in one year, you may return home with the fine excused," he purred slyly.

Kili breathed in deeply, "I agree."

"I will prepare a contract for you to sign," Arveldhir said, before turning to Thannor, "You will be under the watch and guidance of my son. He will commence with your first lessons immediately."

With that, the elegant elder elf swept out of the room, closing the door behind him. Thannor smiled lightly and stepped forward.

"I apologize for my father. He's a bit stiff and rigid," The blonde said in a friendly manner, standing next to the bed. Kili looked down to stare at the covers. His heart ached with guilt and sorrow.

"You need to bathe, as the river didn't quite manage to clean you off," Thannor started, but first reached out to touch beneath Kili's chin to make him look up. Chocolate brown eyes met with grey eyes brimming with kindness and empathy.

"Elves emphasize above all else cleanliness of body and of spirit," the blonde said softly, "And you can not be clean if you do not relieve your mind of guilt. You may freely seek counsel with me. Putting voice to your troubles may do wonders in relieving them."

Kili shot the elf a false crooked grin, "It's fine. I just need some time. I also wish to send a letter to my brother to apologize for up and leaving him. He's probably grief stricken right now."

"Aye," Thannor said as he turned and opened the side table, pulling a quill, parchment, and a bottle of ink from the drawer, "Write something and I will give it to ada-nin to send with his letter."

Kili took the quill, bit his lip, and quickly jotted down a message in sloppy script. Thannor stared out the window as he hunched over the side table, furiously scrawling out his explanations and apologies. Finally, he signed the parchment and set it aside to dry. Thannor held out a hand and helped Kili out of the bed.

Kili stumbled slightly at the rather tall bed. He stood up straight and felt his heart sink. He had been fully grown for several years now, and the only thing that set him apart from adult men was his inability to grow out a beard. Now that he had gotten out of bed, he could compare his real height to the elf beside him. He only came up to mid chest on the elf and probably would be substantially shorter than most elves with his four and a half feet.

Thannor's eyes sparkled as he started towards the door, "I confess I have taken an interest in you. You are quite unique."

Kili glanced around and scratched the back of his neck, "I dunno what you're talking about. I'm just an average dwarf."

"Not quite, you haven't put up quite the fight we expected," Thannor explained as he led the way down a set of elegantly crafted spiral stairs, "Ada-nin was expecting a tirade of foul language and threatened bodily harm. However, we only received a bit of sass on your part, which is generally acceptable, although not with esteemed elders such as Arveldhir. Now, as a rule, elves are private, polite, and poised. There are a few cases where it is ok to let loose your humors, although usually for your age mates and familiars."

Kili rolled his eyes slightly and simply took in the city of Lorlondë. While his uncle spoke so negatively about the rivaling elf city, the civilization blended seamlessly and beautifully with the forest. The wooden towers and hallways seemed to grow from the trees they were crafted around, under, and up into. Small rivulets and streams cut through the city, cascading into fountains and flowing into the various buildings. It appeared sparsely populated, with only a few elves peacefully moving between buildings, some riding tall white horses. The streets contrasted starkly with the bustling and busy dwarven streets and markets full of sound and cheery singing and fast tempers.

He felt decidedly filthy in comparison to the rest of the inhabitants. Mining was a dirty job, so the dwarves did not mind the dirt. It was akin to being closer to the mountain and to gold. Appearances did not matter in the dwarven community. There was no such shame. However, Kili felt his first ever experience with self-consciousness and longed to take a good bath.

Despite that longing, he froze like a stone when Thannor led him into a public bathhouse. His eyes grew wide and horror overcame him.

Thannor watched as a blush colored Kili's skin under the coating of dirt and cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Is there something wrong?" the blonde asked delicately. Kili bit his lip as his eyebrows knitted together. He folded his arms over each other and covered his mouth thoughtfully, before looking back up at the blonde elf, who seemed entirely too amused at the dwarfling's reaction.

"Don't you people have private baths?" he asked, "Or are you fond of flapping genitalia all around your business?"

Thannor tilted his head back and laughed in a high, crystalline tone. It was a genuine laugh, surprisingly. After composing himself, Thannor lightly patted Kili's shoulder.

"We do not flap our genitalia around when we bathe," the elf chuckled, "Rather we do not see nudity as something of which to be ashamed. There is nothing vulgar about bathing. Our eyes remain averted from said regions. Also, socializing in the nude is shown to build kinship."

"Ah," Kili said, still taken aback, "Well, how do you ensure the cleanliness of the water? If my brethren were to all jump into a bath together, we would probably leave dirtier than we got in."

"The water is constantly being cycled," Thannor explained, "It comes from a rivulet, passes through a heating room, and floats out the other side. Besides, one usually takes a few minutes to remove excess filth using a basin before entering the bath," he eyed the dirty little dwarf up and down, "And it seems you will be needing to do this, so let us go into the back room." He led the way through the main bathing room into a smaller back room lined with stones. It contained a bench facing a mirror, where two elves sat with towels around their waists as they dipped sponges into basins and scrubbed their skin with fragrant water.

In addition, along the narrowest wall, another bench sat beneath a trench, into which water flowed in waterfalls from aqueducts several feet above the trench. Holes were cut from the trench, and one elf was sitting on the bench, leaning his head through the hole beneath one of the waterfalls, letting it cascade onto his hair.

Several storage shelves lined the wall opposite of the bathing bench. Some contained towels, some basins, and some were apparently for placing clothing in while one bathed. Thannor placed a small, leather backpack onto a shelf and began to pull his boots off.

Kili paused until Thannor sent him an expectant look, then he sighed loudly and began to rip his boots off. They were waterlogged and ruined anyway. The belt on his tunic was likewise useless and was hurriedly removed. His cotton shirt smelled like sweat and filth, as were his leggings. Kili still did not know where his coat had gone. He hurriedly wrapped a towel around his waist, trying to expose as little as possible.

"Your embarrassment is kind of charming, actually," Thannor said with a half grin as he wrapped a towel around his own waist, "All dwarves I've met have been rugged, manly, and without any apparent cognizance of self-image."

Kili glared at the elf, who shrugged and handed him a bar of soap, a sponge, and a basin. The brunette sat on the bench and began to scrub the filth off him. However, he found that the sponge fell apart after a few good scrubs. With a shrug, he began to lather with his hands, splashing water on himself and watching as rivulets of mud began cascading off him. The elves washing themselves daintily tried not to stare, but their shock and curiosity overcame their politeness.

Thannor was laughing in his chest at the scene. The dwarf was acting like a small elfling in his enthusiasm. He gently sponged the sweat off his own skin, sitting several feet away from the lean little dwarf splashing water and suds in a two feet radius around him. Thannor waited until no more dirt ran off the brunette's skin before showing him where to put the supplies. Looking the little brunette up and down, the elf was pleased that he cleaned up nicely.

"Here, I'll wash your hair," the elf said casually. Kili froze again and his guide began to wonder if this would be a regular occurrence.

"What?" Kili asked, utterly bewildered. Thannor grabbed the dwarf's shoulder, and pushed him to sit on the bench beneath a waterfall.

"It's not that bad, Master dwarf," Thannor said shortly, scooping up the long brown tresses and pushing the brown head into the neck holder. Nervous chocolate eyes blinked beneath thick eyelashes and Thannor had to take a breath and remember he was dealing with an adolescent from an entirely different culture. Patience, patience, patience.

"My culture is very tactile, so I apologize if these seem strange to you," Thannor said softly, using his fingers to comb through the now floating brown hair. Dirt came out in rivulets. As the gentle hands massaged his scalp and tugged on his hair, Kili slowly began to relax, his long eyelashes fluttering shut. Thannor combed out the knots and squeezed out a good majority of the moisture, letting Kili stand up.

Thannor had mercy on Kili and did not make him bathe in the communal bath yet, as it would require complete nudity. Instead, he handed the dwarf some clothing.

"We had a seamstress roughly measure your sizing while you slept," Thannor explained. Kili nodded in thanks and slid into the leggings and tunic. He had to roll the bottom of the leggings up slightly because they were rather long. The cloth was much finer than he had ever worn.

"Now, we must attend to your manners," Thannor explained as he led Kili out of the bathhouse and through a small garden maze filled with beautiful flowers and smells, "Don't insult people. Be quiet of mind and spirit. Try not to display your emotions on your sleeves. It is seen as quite unseemly."

"Look," Kili finally growled, "I didn't choose this, ok? I'm not going to jump through hoops to change who I am just to make you people happy, ok?"

"I'm just trying to help you adapt to our culture," Thannor said, taken aback by the sudden outburst. Kili huffed and stood up, finally towering over the grey-eyed man. His brown eyes flashed and became almost black with anger. He had been quiet and subdued long enough. His voice came out tight and hard,

"Look, I don't need to adapt to your culture. I need to know enough to get by for however long the old elf wants me imprisoned. I do not have to strip naked. I do not have to listen to flutes. I do not have to eat your weird food. Most importantly, I don't have to repress every feeling and emotion in order to keep you people from feeling weird, got it?" Kili asked, positively steaming, "Forget these prissy elf cultures. Forget these snobby rules. I am a dwarf. I have nothing to hide."

With that, the petite brunette stomped off into the maze. Thannor sat in silence, completely surprised from the outburst. Granted, he had been half expecting it, but he had not thought that his advice was too commanding or controlling. He blinked his silvery eyelashes a few times, trying to gather his thoughts before realizing that dinner was to be served soon and he had just let his ward run off into a maze.

He sat puzzled with indecision for several long minutes. On one hand, there was little use going after a pissed dwarf, as they were renowned for their stubbornness. On the other, that dwarf needed energy to finish recovering from his illness and food was a known remedy for dwarven stubbornness. With a sigh, Thannor stood and followed Kili.

He need not have worried too much, as the dwarf left very distinct footprints in the dirt. After several minutes of following the trail, the elf found his prize. Kili sat with both feet sticking straight out against the side of the path, looking rather defeated. He did not meet the elf's eyes.

"I grew weak and lightheaded, so I needed to sit down," he growled, "but it doesn't change what I said before." Thannor nodded.

"Look, I was only trying to help you. I did not want you walking in to a strange culture with no idea of how we comport ourselves. Not every elf you meet will be as entertained and appreciative of your quirks. I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to take away your heritage," the blonde explained, "Now, may I help you return for dinner?"

"Aye," Kili affirmed and accepted the hand up. Then a stabilizing hand appeared on his shoulder as he nearly fell over again. He brushed the fine coating of dirt off the back of his pants.

Luckily, the distance to Thannor's household was short, as Kili often had to stop and close his eyes to prevent lightheadedness from toppling him over. The grand table was set on the ground floor and he received a position opposite of Thannor, on Arveldhir's left side. The elder elf bowed his head in greeting, but he was already finishing eating. After his final bite, he left without a word. Thannor explained that he had much letter writing and reading that needed looking after.

The dwarf actually did not mind most of the food served. Some dishes were too sweet for his taste, but the majority managed to blend a hearty meat with the vegetables, as if the elves were trying to sneak the vegetables in to get him accustomed. Nonetheless, Kili ate a good portion and felt his strength begin to return.

"Now, off to bed with you," Thannor murmured, ushering his new ward up the stairs like one would a small child. Kili shot him a warning look, but the effect was ruined when an enormous yawn nearly split his head open.

Once in the same room he had awakened in the day before, Kili felt the energy leave him and all of his sorrow and worry return. He worried that his brother and uncle thought him dead. He missed his mother. Most of all, he missed Fili. Hardly a day in his life had gone by without his older brother by his side, helping him, coaching him, having fun with him, working with him, sleeping beside him.

As he worried about having made his brother hurt, Kili noticed a different piece of parchment on the night table than he had left. He nearly tripped over his too big boots getting to it, but he guzzled down the too-familiar handwriting.

His hands shook as he read it, but an enormous smile came across his face. He laughed lightly and folded the parchment, placing it under his pillow. He backed up from the bed slightly and took a running leap to jump into it.

The letter read itself repeatedly in his mind, so that it kept bay the thoughts of his mother, as Fili would have done had he been present. Exhaustion quickly overpowered his emotions and took Kili off to the haven of dreams.

A short while later, Thannor peaked into the room and noted the smile on the dwarf's face. A sigh of relief came over him and he smiled softly, returning to the pile of furs that he had been sleeping on in the parlor. He was always grateful to the couriers for their speed of delivery.

* * *

Ok, brief translations for shitty Quenya : Ada-nin is "my father", Lorlondë means roughly "dream haven"  
and I'll give you elf name translations later when I reresearch what they mean -_-'

Oh, btw, this is the cleanish version, but will still be rated M for a reason in later chapters.


	2. The Last Slow Motion Scene

So, I'm spending way too much time on the kili tag on tumblr and playing skyrim. Gotta say, I still don't have a Kili OTP partly because Bilbo looks too old for Kili and I like my pretty boys on bottom, and partly because I don't really like incest. Granted, I read it when it has fictional characters like with Supernatural or Fred and George. Hey, I even wrote twincest for Tokio Hotel fanfiction, and that shit really creeps me out because they're real and I would hate for someone to write that about my sister and I. Also, uncle stuff makes me think of all the terrible "which uncle touched you when you were little" jokes. SO, one of my first OMC pairings. Unless Legolas shows up and they start shooting their arrows.

Rant done, here's writing for you

* * *

Kili moaned in contentment as he burrowed his head deeper into the pillow. Everything was so nice, warm, and dark. The sun was not set to be above the horizon for an hour or two. He almost felt his brother's presence beside him in their shared room.

"Time to rise, dwarfling! The sun is soon to kiss the sky in greeting and we must bear witness to such a merry joining," a certain elf sung merrily as he threw open the doors of the bedroom and pranced in, swinging a large lantern as he walked all over Kili's delusions.

The dwarf sat up and rubbed his eyes. His brown waves stuck out in odd little cowlicks. Dark eyes glared at the bright elf interrupting his glorious sleep.

"Don't call me that, it's stupid," he grumbled, "Why are you awake this early? The sun isn't even up yet."

Thannor clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "Training starts before dawn here. Better to get the fluids going. Now, up you get lest we be late for your archery lesson."

Kili grumbled and began rolling toward the edge of the bed until his body rolled clear off the edge. He did not bother sticking his feet out to catch himself, just hitting the floor with a loud thump. The dwarf lay there for a second before rolling over into a sitting position.

"M'kay, 'm ready," Kili said as he pushed himself up and dusted his clothing. Thannor rolled his sparkling grey eyes as he suppressed laughter.

"At least comb your hair," the blonde sighed as he strolled towards the large white armoire and began to pull out a tunic and clean breeches. Kili blinked in surprise.

"Is this your room?" he asked. Thannor looked up after he pulled his breeches up and bent to lace his boots.

"Aye," he said tentatively. Kili frowned. That did not seem quite right.

"Where have you been sleeping?" he asked. The blonde elf pulled his tunic off. Despite being Kili's elder, even accounting for elven to dwarf years, not a single hair, blond or otherwise, appeared on Thannor's chest or legs. He did not even produce any noticeable stubble.

"I've been sleeping in the living room," the elf responded as he fastened on his clean tunic and smiled at Kili, "But I assure you, I am quite comfortable."

"No, no, no," Kili protested, "You can't possibly think I'm going to take your bed the entire year that I'm stuck here. I'll sleep on the floor."

"No," Thannor countered firmly, "It is inconceivable that a guest would sleep on the floor."

They glared at each other for a long while. Thannor sighed heavily and threw up his arms.

"We have to get to training, but I am not conceding this argument," the blonde elf said as he yanked a pack over his shoulder and grabbed an unstrung bow from the armoire. As he closed the armoire and headed out the door, with Kili on his heels, he muttered something about the stubbornness of dwarves.

"What's that?" Kili asked. Thannor glanced back at him for a second before pulling a comb from his pocket and throwing it at the brown-eyed dwarf, who caught it before it hit him in the face.

"I said, comb your hair," he said as they strode purposefully toward the door. Kili dragged it through his wavy hair a few times, just detangling the knots. He thought about braiding it, but immediately dismissed the idea. That would take an excessive amount of time out of his busy day.

"What about breakfast?" he asked as Thannor trotted to a small connecting stable containing two white horses and a pack pony. The elf threw a packet of lembas over his shoulder.

"A heavy breakfast will weigh you down and disrupt your exercises," Thannor explained as he pushed a bridle onto the face of one of the white horses. Kili sighed and took a bite of the tasteless, crumbly bread before leaning against a post in the stable. His stomach immediately stopped growling and his appetite disappeared, but he did not feel full or weighted down.

"So, why aren't we walking?"

"It's quite a distance and we tarried too long already,"

"What do I ride?"

"What are you talking about? You ride behind me on Gwilwilethil,"

"No way, I am not some sort of maiden. What kind of name for a horse is that anyway?" Kili crossed his arms and looked expectantly at the elf. Granted, the name seemed suitable for elves, obnoxiously long and oddly syllabic.

"Fine, ride the pack pony for all I care. We only use her for long journeys and we have none coming up. And Gwilwilethil means butterfly because she is quick and light on her feet," Thannor said as he strode purposefully over to the black and white little pony and placed a bridle on her.

"What's the pony's name?" Kili asked as he walked over to the animal and let her sniff his hand. She snorted and he rubbed her nose.

"She doesn't have a name. She is just a pack pony,"

"You give your horse there some goofy, long name and have no time to give a name for this one?" Kili asked incredulously. Thannor smirked and shook his head, being incapable of maintaining ill temper at the eccentric dwarf.

"She spends most of her time fattening in the pasture, so we don't understand her personality," Thannor explained. Kili nodded in agreement at the rounded belly of the pony. She reminded him of his uncle's friend, Bombur.

"Can I name her?" Kili asked as he scratched her long white mane. Thannor shrugged and swung gracefully up onto his horse's bare back.

"Be my guest," Thannor said as he maneuvered Gwilwilethil slightly out of the stable. Kili looked the pony up and down, wondering how best to get on top of her. Granted, she was only 12 hands, but that still made her disproportionately tall for Kili. He frowned and looked around. Finally, he put his foot on the bottom rung of her pen and used it to give him the height to boost him up over her back and swing his leg over her extremely rounded barrel.

He gripped her mane tightly for a few seconds until he got his balance before moving her out. Thannor watched amusedly as the dwarf and the fat little pony plodded out of the stable.

"So, her name, Master dwarf?" he asked. A crooked smile crinkled half of Kili's face even as he tottered precariously on the pony.

"Missy," Kili said proudly. Thannor paused, rolled his eyes, and chuckled.

"So our stable is the home to Gwilwilethil, Celeblasson, and Missy," the elf snickered as he picked up the pace towards the trails at the edge of town. Kili had to hang on tightly as the pony's jolting trot jostled him around.

"You just laugh all the time, don't you," Kili commented. The elf looked back with a sly gleam in his eye.

"You are too amusing for my own good," Thannor said and led them off into the woods.

With the horses, the ride to the novice-training arena was expedited by around ten minutes. However, all of the other students were already present by the time they arrived. A mixture of elf youth with ultra fine and ultra straight blond, silver, and brown hair all stood in a line in front of targets. Their faces may have been carved of marble, as they betrayed none of their inner feelings as they quietly talked to each other, but they did incline to raise an eyebrow at the rough looking, short brunette that slid off the pony and strode up to the line. He was a good head shorter than even the shortest of the elflings. Some began to mutter amongst themselves and smirks went around.

Kili gave a half smirk and folded his arms. He knew elves were arrogant. This was nothing he could not handle. Thannor hopped effortlessly off Gwilwilethil and plucked the bow from his pack.

"Welcome to our entry level archery class, students," Thannor said softly, "I will be instructing you on your beginning lessons. The majority of you have experience with a bow already, but so begins your formal instruction. I will be starting at the very beginning, as some of you have no prior experience. We will begin by stringing a bow and practicing single arrow shots at short distances."

"Thannor, what is the halfling doing here?" asked a tall elf boy with silver hair. Kili bristled.

"First off, Tinunir, I am your teacher, and so you must refer to me with respect or be dismissed from my class," Thannor replied quietly, "And secondly, our dwarven guest is not a halfling. His name is Kili and is going to be training alongside all of you for the next year."

"Now," the instructor said calmly, "Take up a bow and string."

The lesson in stringing was easy. Kili was used to working with his hands to create and tune weapons. He was finished first. What came next was the real challenge. Thannor gave a brief demonstration of proper shooting technique and set his students loose. No matter how hard he focused, Kili found he just could not get the arrow to near the target, even as every other student seemed effortlessly to get every arrow into the target.

"Kili, you want to keep your shoulders as low as possible,"

"Turn your elbow towards the string,"

"Make sure you form a straight line with your body,"

"Follow through with your shot, don't just drop everything,"

"Don't grab the bow when you shoot, let the bow sling do the work. And don't flinch about the bow recoiling, it won't hit you."

As the other students shot arrow after arrow into their targets, Kili grew more and more frustrated as his inability to near his target grew more and more apparent. He just could not get it.

"Alright, we will pick up where we left off tomorrow," Thannor said as he packed away his gear, "I have my own classes to attend. Your combat instructor will be arriving shortly to teach you swordsmanship. Kili, remain with the class."

Kili watched as Thannor jumped on his horse and left the arena, leaving him with the other elves. He huffed and tried to ignore the sting from string burn on his forearm.

"I don't understand why you decided to stay here," Tinunir said haughtily, "You obviously aren't worth it as an archer."

"My father says that he is forced to stay and learn because of a breach of treaty," an elf girl explained, looking disdainfully at the shorter brunette. Kili felt his hackles rising.

"Ah, so the halfling can't even afford to pay its fines," Tinunir said with a laugh. The brunette dwarf snarled, stormed up to the blonde, and punched him directly in the face. The silver haired elf had not been expecting physical confrontation, as elves battled with their tongues and not their fists. However, that did not stop the boy from scrambling up and tackling Kili into the dirt.

The other elven youth watched in surprise as Kili and Tinunir wrestled across the ground. Even given Tinunir's elf strength, Kili held his own. He had not grown up mining hard dirt, beating steel into submission, and wrestling brutally with his older and stronger brother Fili for nothing.

However, the supernatural strength of elves is not to be denied, even against the stockier composition of a dwarf. Tinunir managed to pin Kili down and land several hard punches to his stomach. Kili curled up reflexively to protect himself, but the elf grabbed his hair and pulled back to punch Kili in the face.

"What is the commotion?" A voice rang out, stopping the blow from landing. Tinunir jolted backwards, stumbling slightly. Kili could not help but be pleased with himself at the bloated lip, dirty clothing, and wild hair the haughty elf was now sporting. He stood up as well, although more slowly and calmly than his elven rival, showing no pain or irritation. It had been a good fight, even if he had lost his advantage near the end. He had defended his honor. Kili brushed off his clothing as he took in the new instructor with surprise.

This instructor was a man. The lack of pointed ears and perfectly straight hair indicated as much. His red hair and beard also gave him away.

"I am Sadynn," the instructor said, "I am your combat instructor. Now, what was the commotion?"

"The dwarf punched me without warning," Tinunir growled. Kili glared at the other for omitting details and hoped he would not be condemned without his side brought forth. However, to everyone's surprise, Sadynn blinked and smirked.

"And a noble elf like you couldn't avoid it?" the man asked. The elf blushed.

"Never come to me crying of foul play during a fight," Sadynn growled, "You will not always have the luxury of honorable fighting. An orc will not hesitate to stab you in the back. As such, you must not hesitate to stab an orc in the back. You must protect yourself to fight another day. In addition, the race of your enemy does not prevent you from having an advantage over them. Use every aspect you have as an advantage. Use their confidence against them."

Sadynn pointed at Tinunir, "You there, attack me."

The young elf glanced at one of his friends and smirked. Elves were much, much stronger and faster than men were. He dove to tackle his instructor. However, his face ended up in the dirt as Sadynn neatly slid to the side and pushed down on the elf's head, displacing his force.

"Dwarf, attack me," the red haired man ordered. Kili eyed the man up and down and moved to grab the man.

The brunette blinked a few times as he stared up at the sky. He had not even seen the move that rendered him motionless on his back. One by one, Sadynn deposited his students onto the ground. Only one dark haired elf boy managed to stay on his feet, despite being thrown.

"Very good," Sadynn said, "Never let the enemy throw you off your feet. Never be too cocky and do not let your enemy defeat you before you lay your first blow. Now, I must be going."

The students watched as their instructor swung up onto a big blue roan and rode off into the forest without so much as a glance backward

"Really? Less than ten minutes of training?" Nethwen, a silver haired elf girl, huffed under her breath. Kili shrugged and dusted himself off. Dwarves did not get so much when they were being tutored. Their tutors often had more important matters to deal with.

"Himeldir, why didn't Sadynn disarm you?" Kili asked. The raven-haired young man looked at him with ice blue, analytical eyes. The other elf youths stopped to stare, having been too proud to ask for themselves, but being curious anyway.

"I was paying attention," he responded quietly, "While you were all quick to rush and attack, I was watching for his weaknesses and techniques. He simply displaced the energy into a different direction. By following where he displaced the energy, I was able to remain in control of my body."

"Thanks," Kili said as he picked up one of the bows and a quiver. The other elves stared at him confusedly.

"What are you doing?" Himeldir asked, as confused as the rest. Kili frowned and looked over at the others.

"Practicing?" he said tentatively. The others exchanged glances.

"We normally have afternoon meal and then go to our next class, which is now healing," the raven-haired elf explained.

"Oh, nobody told me," Kili said nonchalantly, "They've been conveniently hanging me out to dry."

He found a stone and used it as a step to get up on Missy. Himeldir climbed on his white horse. Most of the students rode the same elegant white horses, except for a few that simply sprinted off into the woods. Kili was surprised when Himeldir drove his horse closer to Missy and looked down to talk.

"So, why are you here in Lorlondë?" the elf youth asked. Kili glanced up at the boy. With a deep breath, he began to explain his situation. Several pointed ears ahead of him tilted to take in his story, but he was beyond caring who heard. Although, it did amuse him that Tinunir was one of the ears that tilted back. Maybe he was not as disinterested in dwarves as he pretended he was.

"Fascinating," Himeldir said as Kili finished, "My sympathies about your mother."

"Aye," Kili thanked him, "So, why do you care? Shouldn't you be sticking your nose up at someone like me?"

"Not all elves are as pretentious as the ones in our class," the blue-eyed elf explained, earning him several glares from the eavesdroppers, "Similar to how not all dwarves are completely without manners as we've been led to believe."

After dismounting from their houses near the center of the town, the group entered a communal dining room beside a major fountain in the village and picked up plates loaded with fruits and vegetables. Kili was surprised when Himeldir and several others sat beside him on a stone bench. After they sat, the rest of the class took up the other spots on the table.

However, when Kili scanned the dining room and noticed that Thannor was not sitting with his age mates. Instead, the elf sat alone and read from a scroll, munching thoughtfully on his food. This revelation confused Kili a good amount as he began to eat, fielding questions about dwarven culture and picking at the odd foods. He thought Thannor was at the top of the social elite. Shouldn't he be the center of attention?

After dinner had been consumed, the class headed toward a small garden a few minutes away from the dining hall. The class sat in a semicircle as a slight female elf dropped out of the large oak in the center of the garden. She introduced herself as Laerorneth.

"Many of the diseases and ailments you will face have a cure in nature itself," she said softly. She started with describing simple treatments, such as placing garlic on a wound to prevent infection, chewing willow bark to relieve pain, using the juice of a certain fern for nettle burns, stings, cuts, and burns, and using mint for a variety of ailments. The lady explained the reasoning behind each and Kili tried to commit these to memory. They had not been provided paper or anything else on which to record it.

"These are bare basics," she murmured, "You will learn to fight dark magic with these plants. Some of these can save your life." With that, she shot back up into the oak tree and class was dismissed for the day.

Kili sighed as he rode Missy from the garden after the lesson. He needed to get away from the elves before he killed them. He swore every one had a snotty attitude full of pretension, even the nice ones. Even their politeness was irritating.

Missy took him back to the training arena, where he slowly slid off and began to practice with the bow again. Determined to get it right, he shot off hundreds of arrows until his forearm was bleeding from the string scraping the layers of skin off it. Still, Kili kept at the task out of pure stubbornness. His arms began to sting from muscle exertion. Despite all of his efforts, he only managed to hit the target once and only barely by the upper edge.

Suddenly, a loud thrashing sounded in the wood, startling the dwarf. He loosed an arrow in his surprise and it hit the target dead on, but he did not notice as he whipped around to stare at whoever was on his trail.

Missy looked up from eating the grass, snorted, and went back to eating, so Kili straightened up just as Gwilwilethil and Thannor crashed into view. He paused and stared at the arrow imbedded in the center of the target. How had he done that?

"Where have you been?" Thannor asked in a slightly panicky voice. Kili looked around confusedly. He did not know why Thannor was panicking.

"Right here," he said. The elf caught his breath and sighed in relief.

"You were supposed to meet with me," Thannor explained. Kili smirked and stepped back up to the line and drew back another arrow. It flew wildly to the left and imbedded into a tree.

"I was never told this," he said and tried another. The string scraped his bleeding forearm again, provoking an unwelcome hiss from between his teeth. Thannor sighed and dismounted. Pulling Kili's hands off the bow, he grasped the shorter brunette's bleeding forearm and clucked his tongue.

"The stubbornness of dwarves will be my undoing," he murmured softly as he pulled a skin sack of water from his belt and rinsed off the bleeding scrape. Kili grimaced a bit, but sighed when Thannor rubbed a numbing salve onto the skin and tied it off with clean linens.

"You need not work so hard," the elf said quietly, stashing his various containers in his pack, "Most of these students have previous experience as well as a natural affinity to bows. Take your time to learn the skill. I have personally never heard of a dwarf archer."

"That's because dwarves tend to dive in head first with an axe or hammer," Kili explained. Thannor shook his head and swung back on his horse.

"We need to bathe and go to the evening meal," he said and rode away. Kili grimaced and clambered back up on Missy.

When they reached the bathhouse, Kili once again protested against the idea of a public bath. However, several of his classmates met him in the back area as he was washing, although they established a two-foot splash zone around the dark haired dwarf as they chatted in a friendly manner. Himeldir was one of the classmates.

"So, what's your significance in this little town," Kili asked as he splashed the suds off. The raven-haired elf shrugged.

"My father is a blacksmith," he said quietly. Kili smiled broadly.

"Now you're speaking my language," he said as he threw out a hand to swat the elf's shoulder even as he stood up to put away the basin, "I'd like to talk with him about his techniques." Kili started to reach for his clothes, but Himeldir gestured toward the main bathing room.

"Aren't you going to bathe?" he asked. Kili grimaced.

"Public bathing does not agree with me," he confessed. The elf rolled his eyes.

"It's not that bad," he said and pulled Kili's arm towards the bath. The dwarf hung back a little and shot a glance at Thannor, who was keeping quietly to himself without expression on his face. The elf nodded and followed, but a pang it Kili in the mind. Something was up with his mentor.

Kili followed trepidatiously and paused when Thannor and Himeldir unwrapped their towels and sank into the water. He glanced across the bath and accidentally made eye contact with a female elf, who was also bathing completely nude. She smiled and waved at him, her bright red nipples just above the water's edge in clear view. A blush colored Kili's face and he averted his eyes again.

"The longer you wait, the more people stare," Thannor said softly. With a big sigh, the dark haired dwarf unwrapped his towel and quickly sank into the water. To his surprise, nobody stared. Except for Thannor and Himeldir, who didn't even hide the fact that they were looking him up and down.

"Are your kind always so hairy?" Himeldir asked, indicating the light brown fuzz that sprinkled parts of Kili's body.

"Our beards and body hair start growing at the same time," Kili said, "So I can't grow a full beard yet and my body hair isn't completely grown in yet. It won't be for at least five more years."

"Odd," Himeldir said as he sank into the water. Kili sank into the warm water as well. It came up to his neck and felt heavenly. He could not, however, avoid surreptitiously looking at his companions.

Himeldir was rather scrawny and pale. His black hair reached his shoulders. He was attractive, as all elves Kili had seen were, but when the dwarf looked over at Thannor, Himeldir looked like an orc. The golden elf seemed to emanate light. His skin was light, but with an inner glow. His body was lean, yet toned and obviously well trained. His long blonde hair reached mid back and seemed to glisten in the soft lights of the bathhouse. Kili averted his eyes quickly as he felt a blush start to well up again. It did not matter anyway, did it?

After they had soaked for several minutes, keeping quiet conversation, Thannor made to get out. Kili stood as well. While he enjoyed the water, he still was happy to leave. Himeldir shot them an odd glance.

"Why are you leaving so quickly?" he asked. Thannor paused, his towel wrapped around his waist, as Kili looked back at his new friend with a sheepish smile.

"You can stay if you wish," Thannor said quietly, "It would strengthen your kinship."

"Nah," Kili brushed off the suggestion, "I'm not that big on water. Catch you later."

Thannor's disposition lightened slightly as Kili followed him into the back room to get dressed. It lightened more as they ate supper and passed jabs back and forth. It even continued until they found themselves at opposite sides of the bedroom, locked in a battle of wills, glaring at each other with crossed arms.

"I am not sleeping on this bed if you sleep on the living room floor," Kili growled. Thannor remained silent.

"It seems we've reached an impasse," said the elf.

"Indeed," said the dwarf. They glared at each other for a few more minutes, but exhaustion soon had them suppressing yawns and trying to figure out a peaceful resolution.

"How about we avoid both of us sleeping on the living room floor together," Thannor suggested tentatively, "And instead just share the bed."

Kili thought for a second and nodded, "That's actually a pretty good idea. But don't try to cuddle."

"Don't worry," Thannor rolled his eyes. The elf removed his boots and settled into the bed. Kili made a running jump and landed heavily, causing Thannor to bounce up in response.

"Weeee!" the blonde giggled. Kili laughed mischievously and stood up on the bed before jumping up and bouncing the elf right up and out of the bed. The normally graceful blonde landed right on his arse and started cackling. Kili pointed and laughed as he towered on the bed. Thannor stood up and tackled the little brunette, easily pinning him. His fingers then went to tickling Kili's sides. The brown-eyed male began to thrash and laugh uncontrollably at the assault on his sensitive skin.

"Ok, Ok, I yield," cried the dwarf breathlessly. Thannor smirked and released him, rolling back to his side of the bed. Kili panted for a few minutes as he tried to catch his breath through a wide, ear-to-ear grin.

However, as the last light of day left, he pulled out the letter his brother sent him and read it over once more. His bedmate looked over at the now serious elf.

"You miss your brother?" he asked softly. Brown sparkling eyes looked over.

"Terribly," Kili replied seriously, before folding up the letter and placing it under his pillow. Thannor nodded.

"You are lucky, dwarfling, as I do not have a sibling," the elf murmured. Kili swung a fist over and heard it connect heavily with the elf's arm.

"Don't call me that," he growled, "or I'll start calling you elfling."

"I am older and your mentor," Thannor said teasingly, "It would be inappropriate. However, dwarfling suits your stature."

"I'm fully grown," Kili growled, but yawned as he did so. Thannor did not respond and soon heard the deep breathing of a sleeping brunette. He sighed and rolled over, cuddling with his pillow and letting sleep take him as well.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I hope I can get the next chapter up soon, but I'm busy celebrating the solstice, so it might be a bit longer :)


	3. Every Song was a Snapshot of My Life

Sorry this took so long, but holidays kept me hopping. I was rewatching the LOTR trilogy and had a moment of sadness when I realized that the Lord of Moria, Gimli's cousin, was Balin.

* * *

"Aye, you are as terrible at the bow as you are at your herbology, history, and etiquette classes," Himeldir commented as he watched Kili shoot arrow after arrow towards his target. Thannor nodded in assent as he chewed on an apple. The dwarf looked up and glared at the two. They had taken up residency in the apple tree above his practice field, hanging upside down like opossums. Their hair hung down in his field of vision and rustled in the gentle wind. The apple tree was in the middle of its fruit bearing days. Kili finished his quiver off and started trodding around the area to find his lost arrows. He had been at it a week already.

"I thought practice makes perfect, but I just can't seem to get even near the target," Kili said angrily as he plucked arrows off the ground and out of trees. As they were of elvish, make so the arrows neither dulled nor broke, which was good given how many rocks they found when on Kili's bow.

"Maybe it's the bow," Thannor suggested, "You are much smaller than the average elfling archer. Perhaps you need a shorter bow." The blonde slid off the branch and landed on his feet, facing Kili as he took another bite. He took the bow from the dwarf and measured it against himself versus against Kili. The proportions were massively off as the bow was just a little more than half Thannor's size and extended nearly all of Kili's height.

"It's like a long bow to you," Himeldir said from his position still draped over a tree limb, "I never realized that before. You should definitely try a smaller bow."

"This is the smallest bow," Kili asked through gritted teeth. He was beginning to get sick of all of the talk of his shortness. It was constantly being discussed by his classmates and even instructors, like Sadynn. Still, he had to admit that the bow was rather large compared to him.

"Perhaps we can have a bow made for him," Himeldir said, "I'm sure my father could do it for a small fee." The dwarf shook his head.

"No thanks, I have no money and I will not be running off any more charity, so don't say anything, Thannor," Kili said towards the blonde who was opening his mouth, but got to thinking. He gripped the bow in his arms and began to feel it up and down, examining its make, "I'll make my own."

"Eh, might as well give it a try, you're wasting your time with that bow," Himeldir drawled. Kili glared at his friend, but began tromping through the forest. Thannor followed him, munching his apple idly. He watched as Kili pulled a knife from his boot and tapped it against a fallen maple sapling.

"Is that not my knife?" Thannor asked about the intricately designed knife the brunette was wielding. Kili clucked over how green the maple was and tromped over it. He quirked a smile back over his shoulder.

"Yeah, it was duller than a butter knife and buried in your closet," the dwarf said nonchalantly as he bent over another maple and tapped it. Not only was the maple too large, but it had large colonies of mushrooms weakening its strength. The dwarf skipped over it.

"That was a gift from the great Haldir of Lorien," the elf protested, "He gave it to me when I came of age. He is one of my father's most important friends with ties to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel,"

"Then he would be glad that it has come to good use," Kili retorted, "It's a knife and it's meant to cut and stab. Besides, my usage, sharpening, and forging will never diminish a weapon's quality," he smiled broadly, "Ah ha!"

A dead yew tree leaned up against one of its brethren. The dwarf trotted up to it and began tapping it with the blade. Satisfied that it was neither green nor rotted, Kili set to work knocking the tree over. He stepped back several feet and bolted towards the tree, throwing his stout dwarven body against the tree. It came free of its stance and fell with a thump.

"We have to get to music class shortly," Himeldir drawled, slipping from the tree branch to land neatly on his feet, and combing his shiny black hair away from his face, "It's starting shortly and we all have to decide which instrument suits us best. God knows you'll end up with a drum, so you have a hope of not failing miserably at another class."

"I'm a fiddler," Kili glared at his friend as he chopped off the useless little dead branches. He whistled and Missy came trotting over.

"You already play?" Thannor asked surprisedly. Kili nodded as he continued his work.

"Played since I was a teenager," he explained as he looked from the pony to the tree. He broke and chopped off several more of the branches, rendering the tree mostly a trunk roughly as thick as his thigh. Pulling a section of rope from Missy's saddlebag, Kili began to tie a knot around the tree. Thannor sighed again.

"Is that my rope?"

"Aye, it was just sitting there with no purpose,"

"I was looking for it this morning when I needed to string up the doe,"

"I told you, rope cuts into the meat. You need some hooks,"

"That doesn't excuse you taking my rope," Thannor growled, but Kili was already tying the rope to Missy's saddle. The dwarf had fallen off the horse far too many times and had used some of his creative handiwork to fit the saddle and ease his mounting. Kili swung up and had his pony trotting off with just a cheeky grin as a parting gift. Himeldir swung up on his own horse and easily caught up with his friend.

Thannor sighed and shook his head. The dwarf would not accept charity, but would just take all of his things without a second thought.

"You are late, Masters Elf and Dwarf," a stern looking elf greeted as he stood in front of their kneeling class, "I am Lendaer and I am a craftsman of musical instruments. My work is known across the realm." He gestured to the variety of elegant instruments hanging on his walls. Kili's eyes caught a little fiddle that looked only slightly bigger than the one he had left at home. His gaze fed upon it hungrily. The elf continued with his lecture, a tone of irritation present in every syllable.

"However, I have no desire to part with my handiwork. I put in a lot of time into each piece. These are to be used only in class and not to be broken, or I will exact payment," Lendaer explained with a glare, "So use caution. I am well aware that learning music is not popular amongst this generation, but it will expand your minds. I highly doubt any of you have even touched an instrument before today, as you are too busy attending social events and playing with bows."

Kili frowned at the haughty glare of the teacher. It seemed rather uncalled for, but he wondered if it was indeed true. What a shame, as he and his kin loved playing music.

"What is with that sassy look, Master Dwarf," Lendaer called out unexpectedly. Kili blinked in surprise and almost swallowed his tongue. He cleared his throat as all eyes swiveled to fall on him. Again. He used dwarven confidence to tamp down his self-consciousness.

"I find it hard to believe that elf youth don't play music," Kili said firmly. Lendaer looked around the heads.

"How many of you have touched an instrument?" Lendaer asked to the room. Not one elf raised his or her hand, "Not that you are one to talk, Master Dwarf as-"

"What are you talking about?" Kili asked with his arms folded. The elder glanced back, surprised at the interruption.

"I can play the fiddle," Kili said with a huff. Lendaer frowned in surprise.

"Really, how long have you played?" he asked as he began to move towards his violins.

"Over 50 years with my brother Fili," the dwarf responded, "I borrowed his when I was in my teens and then he gave me a matching one for my twentieth birthday."

Lendaer picked the smallest fiddle from the wall and a matching bow. The instructor rosined the bow briefly. His grey eyes looked skeptical as he ran the bow back and forth over the dark sap. After he had sufficiently coated the hairs of the bow, he offered the instruments to the dwarf.

"Show me," he said. Kili gently took the violin and nestled it under his chin before accepting the bow. He cradled the instrument like a tender child. The brunette closed his eyes and took a deep breath, smelling the wood and rosin of the violin. He drew the bow across the strings once to get the feel and sound before positioning his fingers.

A sweet melodic sound slithered forth into the room as Kili drew the bow slowly back and forth across the strings. The music traveled up into mountains and down into valleys as it rolled melodiously out of the instrument. The brunette swayed back and forth gently in the back of the class.

Unbeknownst to him, Thannor was perched in the rafters, having been excessively curious about his trainee's supposed musical talent to let it lie. He sighed as the violin's music soothed his spine.

Then, brunette eyes opened and sparkled and the pace increased. A fiery jig came out as Kili began to play faster and faster. The music instructor's eyes sparkled as well as he began to tap along to the music. All four and a half feet of dwarf bounced to the unbelievably fast music. Brown, messy hair bounced and flew everywhere as pure energy erupted from the little musician. Thannor watched, enraptured, as the dwarf looked like he could explode forth in skips and jumps, but was mindfully keeping himself rooted to the floor.

The fiddler soon let his bow rest after a cacophony of notes. Lendaer nodded his head with a broad grin on his face. Several of the elven youth stared in surprise and awe at their dwarven classmate. Kili glowed with energy, having absorbed it directly from the fiddle.

"Very good, very good," Lendaer complimented, "You have some poor techniques, but your overall effect is very good. You only require some light tutoring and you will rank amongst my best clients. Are all dwarves this musically inclined?"

"Well, I enjoyed it a lot because of my brother," Kili explained, "My uncle Thorin plays the harp quite well also, but most dwarves play an instrument. We just love to create and love music, so the two go hand in hand. Besides, nothing goes better with a drink, except maybe a pipe."

"Perhaps I need to start selling my wares to dwarves," the elf said as he thought for a moment, "but thank you for your knowledge as well. It was quite unexpected."

However, Kili knew he was far from over in his ordeal when he caught the look Tinunir gave his friend and the glare Kili received from the elf. He was not surprised, therefore, when the tall elf followed him to where the yew trunk was waiting behind Thannor's house.

"I bet you loved not being a complete failure," the elf growled, eyes glowing with anger. Negative energy radiated off him.

"Well, I guess I'm good at smithing, fiddling, and not being a complete ass," Kili said with a smirk. The elf's glare cranked up another level. He stormed up to Kili and towered over him menacingly. Kili stared up at him boredly.

"It doesn't matter that you insult me or that you best me in music," Tinunir growled, "I will always be stronger than you. Moreover, the best thing is that I will always have my family here. I belong here and you do not. You do not even belong in those mountains of yours. The sickness is probably a good thing to clear out the vermin."

Kili snarled with fury and lunged at the elf. However, Tinunir was expecting the attack and had been hoping for it. He grabbed the dwarf and went toppling over. Two good punches were all that Kili got in before Tinunir got the upper hand and began to land solid blows all over the dwarf's body.

"Hey!" yelled a voice before Tinunir was pulled off the boy. Kili spat blood into the dirt and tried to keep his dinner down as he rested his forehead against the ground. He heard Thannor's voice and a hissed word from Tinunir before stomps were heard fading and footsteps ran to his side.

"You really need to work on your people skills," Thannor murmured quietly as he lifted Kili up and back into a sitting position. A hand tangled in brown locks, reassuringly petting the dwarf's head. Kili took a proffered water skin and sipped it lightly. It stung cuts inside his mouth from his teeth.

"He's right, I don't belong here," a soft voice came out of the brunette. Thannor looked over to the downcast, soft, brown eyes, "And I don't have a home either. My mother is dead and my brother is far away from me. I know at last what my uncle has felt all his long years away from Erebor. I know why he looks wistfully into the East."

Kili wiped sparkling tears away from his pained brown eyes. His physical wounds were nothing compared to the hole in his heart where his home should be and the empathy for is mother's brother. His loneliness and despair were tangible feelings of emptiness. It had not even been Tinunir's words, but merely the reminder after days of suppressing the feelings.

A tentative hand grasped his shoulder, surprising the young dwarf. He looked up at Thannor with a tear-streaked face, but was immediately pulled face first into the soft tunic of the elf's shoulder. The arms that found their way around his shoulders were stiff, uncomfortable, and unused to the act of hugging, but Thannor tried his hardest. Kili tried to draw in a breath, but it came in as a sob, and buried his face deeper into Thannor's chest. His hands gripped handfuls of the blonde's tunic as he sobbed out his misery.

After a few minutes, Kili regained control over his emotions. He pulled back from Thannor and sniffled a few times. His eyes were completely red rimmed. A large wet spot stained the front of Thannor's tunic.

"I apologize," Kili said quietly, "It just pushed me over the edge a bit."

"There is no need to apologize," Thannor said as he smiled gently, "You have been through a lot, Master Dwarf, and have not had time to heal. Do you feel better?"

"Surprisingly," Kili murmured, but patted his head, "but I have a headache and I think I'm going to have some good bruises. Ah well."

With that shrug, Kili picked up his hacksaw and began to saw the yew into pieces. Thannor watched for a bit before running off to take care of his other errands, like cutting up the deer he had caught that morning and delivering several notes for his father.

Kili was very precise with his craftwork, as all dwarves were taught to be. He cut a section of yew without knots and began to whittle the dead center into a grip. He cut intricate little workings into the tips of the bow.

He asked Himeldir's father to borrow his workshop and the polite old man agreed. Boiling a large pot of water, the dwarf dipped one-half of the bow into the water and let it soften and become pliable before pulling it out and clamping it into shape. It would set as it dried.

At that time, Thannor came to get him for his evening bath and meal. This evening was different; however, as they two shared a companionable silence instead of lighthearted banter. It had been a trying day, comparatively.

As they settled into the bed as the sun blew its last kiss to the sky, Kili felt the overwhelming heaviness of silence press down on him. He had a question, but he almost dared not disturb the silence. However, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Thannor?" he broke the wall of silence tentatively. The blonde made a noise to indicate he heard, so Kili continued, "What did Tinunir say to you?"

A long silence followed, nearly convincing Kili that he had not asked the question or that Thannor had fallen asleep. He had almost given up on getting an answer when the blonde sighed and rolled over to face Kili. His hair shone dusty golden in the dusk.

"He called me impotent," Thannor whispered softly, hurtly, "Which is true. I am sterile. However, most handle this with more tact as it is a cruel curse. It means that I cannot marry, as I cannot conceive a child. It means that I must spend my endless years alone, for I can not take a wife."

"Why would that be? You can still love someone," Kili asked. Thannor shrugged.

"I would not deprive someone of the chance to have children. It is the greatest pleasure. This is why I do not court," the elf explained. Kili bit his lip when he realized that Thannor's eyes had taken on that shielded look of emotions drawn forcefully from the front of the eye.

The brunette rolled over and pulled the elf into an easy hug, despite the blonde's initial stiffening.

"You'll find someone," Kili whispered into the blonde's ear, "I just feel it." A shudder went down Thannor's spine. The dwarf realized how thin the cloth between them was and rolled back over to his side of the bed with a firm blush on his face. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Thannor smiled softly and let his eyelashes flutter shut.

Kili's body betrayed him and his attempt to fall quickly to sleep. Long after Thannor's breathing evened out, Kili was still awake and fidgeting. He was frustrated between his legs. Granted, there had not been opportunity to release his pent up energy since he had become sick, but he also had not had a problem that would not go away since his forties. No matter how much willing, threatening, and cajoling Kili mentally went through, the problem under the sheets would not lie down.

Finally, the smaller man rolled off the bed and quietly made his way to the bathroom. Locking the door, Kili sat on lid of the toilet and pulled his aching flesh out. Perhaps he had needed to discharge to relieve tension.

He closed his eyes and moved his fist up and down, slowly, over his hardened flesh. His thumb rubbed over the moist tip and smeared the liquid down the sides to ease his strokes.

In his mind, Kili tried to picture the beautiful dwarf women Fili had pointed out over the years, with ample breasts and buttocks. Every other time, he could release just from picturing these women in fantasies. However, in every fantasy he used, the woman's breasts shrank and muscles grew. She heightened and her hair lengthened until familiar grey eyes sparkled with sexuality.

He began to jerk his hips forward into the welcome and gentle hand. Thoughts of gentle arms encircling him laced with images of elegant lip parting to reveal a pink tongue, which ducked down to lap at Kili's sensitive head. Those elegant lips slowly took in every inch of his length and Kili released into his hand.

He panted around his mouthful of one hand and stared at the other, full of his discharge. The brunette sat and trembled, his heart beating a mile a minute. Desperately, he rinsed his hand off and tidied himself back up. His heart would not get back under control.

How could he have such thoughts about his friend, about a male? Was it because the elf looked so feminine? Was it because Thannor was close and Kili was emotionally unstable? Questions raced through the dwarf's mind as he trod back to the bed and climbed up, careful not to disturb his bedmate. Unease settled in his stomach for the long haul.

Even though his spine tensed immediately at the thought of Thannor being right beside him, Kili could not help falling directly asleep after the recent activity.

He worked hard over the next few days to finish his bow and to distract himself. Kili boiled and shaped the other half, crafted arrows, and began to collect scraps of metal from the floor of Himeldir's father's forge. The man could not spare the raw metal, but he could spare the scraps. So Kili collected them up, melted them, and forged an intricate band for the grip. He sanded the wood down, cut notches for strings, and stained the yew dark.

His final piece was to wrap leather around the grip and string the bow. It was roughly half the height of the elven bows, making it a little more than half as tall as Kili himself. Himeldir's father tested the bow himself, feeling the power behind it, and deemed it well crafted. He even offered to hire Kili on for the simpler tasks.

However, when Kili took the bow out to the practice yard, he only slightly increased his accuracy. There were a few times he hit the target in the twenty arrows he shot and most landed near the target, but practice did not seem to improve his shot.

Frustrated, the dwarf picked up his quiver and began shooting again. He notched an arrow and drew back the string, the power of the bow straining against his arm.

"Boo!" Thannor shouted as he sprang out of the apple tree. Kili loosed the arrow in his shock and it flew straight to the center of the target. Both elf and dwarf stared at the arrow.

"I was going to say that you improved slightly, but not as drastically, but that is different from what I've seen as of yet," Thannor said. Kili shrugged as he stared at the arrow.

"I did that once before, when you surprised me on our first day of archery," Kili mentioned. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth, thinking.

"Even with the big bow?" Thannor asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Kili nodded. The elf thought for a moment before snapping, "You can only do it when it really matters."

"What?" Kili asked, not getting any information from the statement. Thannor plucked an apple from the tree and whipped out a handkerchief.

"You can only hit a target when there is a legitimate threat of danger," Thannor explained as he walked up to the target and pulled the arrow out. The blonde settled in front of the target and tied the handkerchief in front of his eyes before placing the apple on his head. The dwarf stared at him, unsure of what exactly was going on.

"The blindfold is so I don't move, so try to hit the apple," Thannor explained. Kili blanched for a second.

"Are you crazy?" Kili asked, "Do you want an arrow through some part of yours?"

"If you can hit the target that spot on, then you have the talent," Thannor said softly, "Besides, I trust you."

Kili felt something thrum through him. He stared at the bow in his hands. Trust was something that he had always given others. He had given his trust to his brother and his uncle and mother. Never had he been a recipient. It was a precious gift, if quite heavy, but Kili was strong enough to bear it. Besides, it felt a little like home.

He notched an arrow and drew back the string. The bow purred under the stress, enjoying the tug of its master. The string dug into calloused fingers. Sweat dripped down the back of Kili's neck. With a breath, Kili aimed and released the arrow. It shot forward and pinned the apple to the center of the target as the bow bounced in Kili's hand.

Thannor smiled.

That night, screams awoke Kili and Thannor from their slumber. Red light filled their room from the outside. Thannor moved swiftly to the window, almost unseen in his speed. The red light emphasized the horror on the elf's face.

"There is a fire in Lendaer's house," Thannor murmured as he sluggishly pulled a coat on. Kili nearly fell over pulling his boots on. The knife slid easily into the left one. Grabbing Thannor's arm, he pulled the man hurriedly down the stairs and out the door into the street.

There was chaos amongst the elves as flames erupted from the house built into a huge tree, lapping up at the starry skies and dying everything a hellish shade of red. Elves gathered around outside, staring at the blaze with fear and indecision. They seemed paralyzed with doubt. No one knew what to do.

"Is everyone out," Kili yelled at the crowd, shaking an individual that stood shell-shocked. The elves that were not frozen were hesitating, staring and wondering if they could escape unharmed.

"Lendaer is still inside!" someone said to him, even as he chewed on his fingernails. Here, the famed strength of the elves faltered, when confronted by an unexpected fear. The dwarf hardened his eyes and decided to take control.

Kili pushed his collar over his nose and bolted into the building, even as Thannor cursed and tried to grab him. The dwarf was too determined in his mission to let the elf catch him, and the elf was sluggish with his own fear.

"Kili! It's too dangerous!" the blonde cried after him. The brunette ignored him and ran through the music shop. Instruments everywhere burned into pieces. The air was stifling and unbreathable, even through the fine fabric of his collar. Still, he bolted up the stairs where fire had yet to spread. Lendaer slept deeply, drooling purple saliva. His visage was slack and his skin was cold.

Even a terrible herbology student could recognize that it was the result of a sleeping poison, so Kili swore and shook the teacher. The man groggily responded, but very confusedly, so Kili pulled an arm over his shoulder and helped the elf down the stairs. The grogginess did not wear off as Kili pushed him out the burning doorway. Several elves reached forward, grabbed him, and set him down to tend his wounds. Kili dove back into the fire, as his gaze had caught another person.

A body lay behind the workbench, completely sprawled and amidst the flame. Kili had not noticed him before. When he rolled the body over, the dwarf was surprised that the elf was Tinunir. Smoke had put him fast asleep, but something darker apparently was going on, as his eyes rolled back into his head. Lifting the elf up over his shoulder, Kili trudged toward the outside. Just as he reached the blazing doorway, his vision went black, his muscles weakened, and he fell over just outside of the door. Tinunir rolled off his back and sprawled on the grass. Above Kili, the sound of snapping support beams filled the air. A loud crash sounded with the roar of flames and someone yelled, "KILI!"

Kili then knew only darkness.

* * *

Hehehe, I will try to update soon. There are explanations for the odd behaviors of Tinunir. If you want to be even more lovely than you already are, you can review and tell me how I'm doing so far ;)


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